Currently pilots must estimate where to release a flare to achieve the desired illumination levels of a target and prevent it from being a hazard to ground forces and other aircraft. The pilot is required to do hand calculations that factor in current wind, altitude and temperature en-route to the objective area. This increases pilot workload and relies on pilot estimations for where a flare release will be safe and effective.
In the current solution, pilots first determine the area they need to illuminate and a safe location for the flare to burn out. Next, they compute the point where the aircraft needs to release the flare at a release point. This is a hand calculation using estimated wind conditions. The release point is only accurate if the wind estimate is accurate and if the aircraft approaches the release point from the direction used to calculate the release point. There is no symbol that is displayed on a map to validate the acceptability of the release point. Battlefield plans can change with short notice and require illuminating a different area or approaching the same area from a different direction. When the flare is released, the extent to which the actual wind and aircraft parameters deviate from the plan introduces error that will result in the actual path of the parachute flare not matching the original planned path.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure herein is presented.